Transom transducer mounting bracket

ABSTRACT

For use on a boat having a vertical transom, a transducer assembly characterized by a flat-bottomed underwater block-like head having an upstanding sleeve providing a sheath for the lower end portion of an insulated wire which is operatively connected with said head, and novel means for mounting said transducer. The mounting means comprises a transom-supported adapter cleat and a bracket. The cleat is joined to the transom by fastening screws. The complemental bracket is L-shaped in edge elevation. The short vertical leg of the bracket is normally flush and united with the lower end of the cleat through the medium of a spring hinge. The long horizontal leg has an elongated slot in which the sleeve is insertably adjustably and retentively mounted. The sleevesupported transducer is capable of swinging up and out of the way clear of damaging obstructions.

United States Patent Salvato TRANSOM TRANSDUCER MOUNTING BRACKET FrankJ. Salvato, 6605 Lange Circle, Dallas, Texf752 14 [22] Filed: Mar. 5,1971 [21] Appl.No.: 121,364

[76] Inventor:

248/293, 287, 285, 286, 284; 16/130, 189, 191; 340/8 R, 8 S, 3 R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,521,225 7/1970 Kursman eta1 ..340/8 R 2,547,550 4/1951 Whitmore ..l6/l9l X 1,063,782 6/1913Dickey ....243/285 X 1,463,358 7/1923 Cordes ..248/29l 2,634,655 4/1953Knowles et a1. 16/191 X 3,113,287 12/1963 Renner ..340/8 R 367,4658/1887 Tanner ....248/293 2,646,950 7/1953 Nelson et a1 ..248/1 1 Apr.24, 1973 Primary Examiner--J. Franklin Foss Att0rneyClarence A. OBrienand Harvey B. Jacobson 7 ABSTRACT For use on a boat having a verticaltransom, a transducer assembly characterized by a flat-bottomedunderwater block-like head having an upstanding sleeve providing asheath for the lower end portion of an insulated wire which isoperatively connected with said head, and novel means for mounting saidtransducer. The mounting means comprises a transom-supported adaptercleat and a bracket. The cleat is joined to the transom by fasteningscrews. The complemental bracket is L-shaped in edge elevation. Theshort vertical leg of the bracket is normally flush and united with thelower end of the cleat through the medium of a spring hinge. The longhorizontal leg has an elongated slot in which the sleeve is insertablyadjustably and retentively mounted. The sleeve-supported transducer iscapable of swinging up and out of the way clear of damagingobstructions.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Patented April 24, 1973 Frank J. .Sa/vafoTRANSOM TRANSDUCER MOUNTING BRACKET This invention relates to underwaterdepth designating transducer assemblies and novel pressure responsivemeans by way of which a transducer assembly can be advantageouslymounted on the vertical exterior surface of the transom of a boat andwhich when in its normal underwater locale serves its depth designatingpurposes and which when striking an obstruction yields and swingsrearwardly and upwardly to a self-protecting out-of-the-way position.

- Many and varying types of adapters and mountings have been devised forsupportively locating different types of transducers on boats and othermobile supports. Then, too, certain prior art adaptations are known toembody yieldable mounts of one type or another with a view towardminimizing shock and damage to sensitive transducers. The hereindisclosed concept has to do with structurally and functionally noveltransducer mounting means which is such in design and capability that itwill minimize the likelihood of damage to the normally submergedtransducer.

For background purposes the reader may refer to the electroacousticaltransducer for boat hulls disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,113,287 issuedtoGerard W. Renner. It will be noted that the transducer in Renner ismounted below the bottom of the boat and is subject to displacement anddamage. As further exemplary of the state of the art to which theinvention relates attention can be accorded the Donald 0. Nelson US.Pat. No. 2,646,950 which has to do with an underwater-transducerassembly for mounting on a watercraft.

A significant purpose of the concept hereinafter revealed is to providenovel means for bracketing and mounting the transducer assembly in sucha manner that the transducer proper is normally suspended in ahorizontal plane with its bottom slightly below the plane of the bottomof the boat and to so construct the hinging and mounting means that thetransducer assembly is susceptible of swinging rearwardly and upwardlyto a safeguarding and out-of-the-way position when it collides with whatmight otherwise constitute a transducer damaging obstruction.

More specifically, the instant concept is characterized by bracket meansone part of which is designated as a cleat and which is provided withattaching and adjusting fasteners, and the component or complementalpart of which takes the form of a simple L-shaped bracket, that is,bracket which has a short leg which is hingedly joined to a lower end ofthe adapter cleat, the long leg having an elongated slot in which amedian portion of the sleeve component of the transducer assembly isadapted to be keyed and clamped in a given properly adjusted position.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof,

wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout,

and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing a rear end elevation of a boat, moreparticularly the aforementioned transom and showing, what is moresignificant, the transducer assembly, the cable or wire leadingtherefrom into the boat and the novel compensating and safeguardingmeans whereby the transducer is mounted on the transom at the desiredplace.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the rear end of the boat andillustrating the transducer assembly in the up-out-of-the-waysafeguarding position.

FIG. 3 is a rear end elevation, that is, a view observing the structuralarrangement depicted in FIG. 1 but on a slightly enlarged scale; and

FIG. 4 is a view with parts in section and elevation taken approximatelyon the plane of the central vertical section line 4-4 of FIG. 4 lookingin the direction of the indicating arrows.

The mobile support herein illustrated comprises a fishing boat or thelike denoted by the numeral 6. The significant component is the verticaltransom 8 the exterior surface of which is denoted at 10. The bottom ofthe boat is designated at 12 and the block-like transducer 14 of thetransducer assembly 16 is designed and adapted so that the bottomsurface 18 thereof will travel under water in a plane just below theplane of the bottom 12 of the boat. The top side of the body or head ofthe transducer is denoted at 20. The top surface is provided adjacentone end with a screw threaded socket 22 to accommodate the screwthreaded lower end 24 of an externally screw threaded perpendicular orupstanding sleeve 26. This sleeve provides a sheath or jacket for thelower end portion 28 of the insulated wire or cable, as shown in FIG. 4.The other end portion of the cable is shown disappearing over the upperedge of the transom as at 30 in FIG. 1 where, in actual practice, it isconnected with appropriate tell-tale means (not shown). With furtherreference to FIG. 4 it will be seen that themedian portion of the sleeveis provided with a lower assembling and clamping nut 32 and acomplemental upper assembling and clamping nut 34, the latter havingwashers 36 and 38 aligned and cooperable therewith. The bracketing andmounting means is so constructed that it will adjustably accommodate theover-all transducer assembly 16.

Whereas the mounting means could well be referred to as a spring-loadedor two-part hinge embodying hingedly joined leaves it is desired here todifferentiate the parts as comprising a flat leaf-type cleat, that is anadapter cleat 40 which is fittingly placed against the exterior surface42. This cleat is provided with spaced parallel vertically elongatedslots 44 to accommodate screw threaded headed attaching and adjustingfasteners 46 cooperating with a third or intervening screw threadedfastener 48. These several threaded fasteners serve to mount the cleatproperly in place on the surface 42. The lower end portion 50 of thecleat is provided with a pair of spaced parallel outstanding ears 52.

The L-shaped complemental bracket is denoted at 54 aNd comprises a longleg 56 having a slot 58 to accommodate and retain the nut-equippedsleeve 26. The short leg 60 is normally flush with the cleat and abutsthe transom and is provided with a pair of spaced ears 62 which arealigned and cooperable with the ears 52 in a manner to accommodate thepintle or pin 63. This pin is headed as shown in FIG. 3 and a coilspring 64 surrounds the pin between the ears and has its end portionsabutting the cleat and leg 60 in the manner shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The normal traveling positions of the assembly 16 and mounting means isas shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. When an obstruction is encountered thehinge means comes into play and the spring-loaded transducer swings toan up out-of-the-way safety position, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use on the exterior vertical surface of the transom of a boat,mounting means for a transducer assembly characterized by a block-likeflat-bottomed head, an externally screw threaded nut-equipped sleevehaving a lower end operatively joined to and rising perpendicularly froma top surface of said head and sheathing a conducting cable operativelyoriented with said head, said mounting means comprising: a slottedcleat, attaching and adjusting fasteners for said cleat, andcomplemental L-shaped bracket one leg of which is hingedly joined to andnormally abuts a lower end of said cleat, the other leg of said brackethaving an elongated slot in which a median portion of said sleeve isadapted to be fitted and clamped in a given serviceable position.

2. The structure defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein saidcleat is provided at a lower end with a first pair of ears, said brackethaving a second pair of ears which are oriented and coordinated withsaid first pair of ears, and a hinge pin piercing and hingedly unitingthe respective pairs of ears and hingedly and cooperatively joining saidbracket to said cleat.

3. The structure defined in and according to claim 2, and a tensionedcoil spring interposed between the ears of said first pair of ears,surrounding said pin and having one free end engaging a predeterminedsurface of said cleat and its other free end engaging a predeterminedsurface of said bracket.

4. in combination, a boat having a vertical transom, attaching andretaining means for an underwater transducer assembly comprising avertically elongated rigid cleat having a flat surface adapted to besuperimposed upon and secured to a predetermined surface of saidtransom, said cleat having a lower end provided with opposed spacedparallel ears, said ears having coplanar lower marginal edges flush witha cooperating lower marginal edge of said cleat, the body portion ofsaid cleat being provided with a pair of spaced parallel elongatedslots, said slots adapted to accommodatingly receive and positionscrew-threaded headed fasteners in a manner permitting the cleat to bevertically adjusted and secured in a given position, an adapter bracket,said adapter bracket being substantially L- shaped and embodying a shortforward leg and a complemental long leg, said short leg having an edgenormally abutting the coacting lower marginal edge of said cleat, saidshort leg having end portions provided with laterally directed earswhich are oriented and coordinated with the ears of said first-namedpair of ears,

and a long leg, said lon leg being provided with an elongated slot, anassem ling hinge pm piercing and hingedly uniting the respectivelycooperable ears and hingedly joining said adapter bracket to said cleat,and

an underwater transducer assembly provided with an upstandingscrew-threaded nut-equipped sleeve, the nut-equipped median portion ofsaid sleeve being passed through said slot in a manner that the nuts onsaid sleeve are clampingly associated with coacting surface portions ofsaid long leg.

5. The combination defined in and according to claim 4 and a tensionedcoil spring interposed between the ears of the first-named pair of ears,surrounding said hinge pin and having one free end engaging apredetermined surface of said cleat and its other free end engaging apredetermined surface of the short leg of said adapter bracket.

1. For use on the exterior vertical surface of the transom of a boat,mounting means for a transducer assembly characterized by a block-likeflat-bottomed head, an externally screw threaded nutequipped sleevehaving a lower end operatively joined to and rising perpendicularly froma top surface of said head and sheathing a conducting cable operativelyoriented with said head, said mounting means comprising: a slottedcleat, attaching and adjusting fasteners for said cleat, and acomplemental L-shaped bracket one leg of which is hingedly joined to andnormally abuts a lower end of said cleat, the other leg of said brackethaving an elongated slot in which a median portion of said sleeve isadapted to be fitted and clamped in a given serviceable position.
 2. Thestructure defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said cleat isprovided at a lower end with a first pair of ears, said bracket having asecond pair of ears which are oriented and coordinated with said firstpair of ears, and a hinge pin piercing and hingedly uniting therespective pairs of ears and hingedly and cooperatively joining saidbracket to said cleat.
 3. The structure defined in and according toclaim 2, and a tensioned coil spring interposed between the ears of saidfirst pair of ears, surrounding said pin and having one free endengaging a predetermined surface of said cleat and its other free endengaging a predetermined surface of said bracket.
 4. In combination, aboat having a vertical transom, attaching and retaining means for anunderwater transducer assembly comprising a vertically elongated rigidcleat having a flat surface adapted to be superimposed upon and securedto a predetermined surface of said transom, said cleat having a lowerend provided with opposed spaced parallel ears, said ears havingcoplanar lower marginal edges flush with a cooperating lower marginaledge of said cleat, the body portion of said cleat being provided with apair of spaced parallel elongated slots, said slots adapted toaccommodatingly receive and position screw-threaded headed fasteners ina manner permitting the cleat to be vertically adjusted and secured in agiven position, an adapter bracket, said adapter bracket beingsubstantially L-shaped and embodying a short forward leg and acomplemental long leg, said short leg having an edge normally abuttingthe coacting lower marginal edge of said cleat, said short leg havingend portions provided with laterally directed ears which are orientedand coordinated with the ears of said first-named pair of ears, and along leg, said long leg being provided with an elongated slot, anassembling hinge pin piercing and hingedly uniting the respectivelycooperable ears and hingedly joining said adapter bracket to said cleat,and an underwater transducer assembly provided with an upstandingscrew-threaded nut-equipped sleeve, the nut-equipped median portion ofsaid sleeve being passed through said slot in a manner that the nuts onsaid sleeve are clampingly associated with coacting surface portions ofsaid long leg.
 5. The combination defined in and accoRding to claim 4and a tensioned coil spring interposed between the ears of thefirst-named pair of ears, surrounding said hinge pin and having one freeend engaging a predetermined surface of said cleat and its other freeend engaging a predetermined surface of the short leg of said adapterbracket.